Method of forming brake drums and the like



Aug. 20, 192 9. I J. E. BATIE 1,724,894

' METHOD OF FORMING BRAKE DRUMS AND THE LIKE I Fil ed Oct. 5, 1925 Snucmtoz Patented Aug. 20, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

JOSEPH E. BATIE, OI DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO KELSEY WHEEL COMPANY,

INC., OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD OF FORMING BRAKE DRUMS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed October 5, 1925. Serial No. 60,572.

The invention relates to a method of forming brake drums and the like and has as one of its objects to provide a brake drum having an integral brake flange and web which are formed without material drawing of the metal forming the brake drum. Another object is to form the brake drum from a flat blank by severing the blank to substantially predetermined length, hooping the blank and securing the adjacent ends of the hooped blank in close proximity to each other. A

further object is to fashion the blank fprior to its severing to provide portions for orming both the brake flange and web of the brake drum. The several objects and advantages of this invention and a detailed description of several steps of the method will be made more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in con- 2 nection with the accompanying drawings,

wherein Fi re 1 is a lan view of a blank for form- 'n t e brake rum;

igure 2 is a plan view of the blank after it has been fashioned;

Fi ures 3 and 4 are respectively side and end e evations of the fashioned blank after it has been hooped and welded;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the blank with the V-shaped portions forming the web of the brake drum being bent into place;

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the completed brake drum;

Figure 7 is an end view thereof.

The present tendency of motor vehicle manufacturers is to employ brake drums having a high percentage of carbon. It is very difiicult to draw these brake drums from flat circular blanks in the usual manner as by means of a cooperating plunger and die. With my invention material drawing of the metal forming the brake drum is avoided.

As shown in Figure 1, 1 is a rectangular sheet steel blank of indeterminate length having a'high percentage of carbon. This blank may be first fashioned as shown in Figure 2 to provide the continuous portion 2 and the substantially V-shaped portions 3 extending from one edge of the continuous 0 portion and having the concave ends 4. The

blank then may be severed to substantially predetermined length after which it is hooped and its adjacent edges are welded at 5, the blank as thus far described being shown in Figures 3 and 4. The Weld flash is then removed by a suitable trimming operation and the blank sized. This sizing is preferably done by an expanding operation in order to determine whether the weld is sufficiently strong.

The next step consists in turning in the substantially V-shaped portions 3 of the blank, as shown in Figure 5, the number of these V-shaped portions and the angles of inclination of their side edges being such that when the V-shaped portions arecompletely turned in, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, their side edges will extend in close proximity to each other and form the web of the brake drum and their concave ends 4 will cooperate to form the opening through the web. The side edges of these V-shaped portions are then welded and the outer side of the web is finished to remove the weld flash, after which the'web may be suitably perforated for the. passage of the means for securing the brake drum to the wheel body.

From the above .description it will be readily seen that I have provided a method of forming a brake drum by means of which material rawing of the metal is avoided.

' It will also be seen that the brake drum has an inte a1 brake flan e and web and that the brag flange will be cylindrical and of the correct diameter.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The method of forming a brake drum having a brake flange and a web which includes successively fashioning a flat blank to form a continuous portion and substantially V-shaped portions extending from one edge thereof, hooping the blank, welding the adjacent end of the blank, sizing the hooped and welded blank and bending the V-shaped portions toward each other and their edges into proximity to each other to form the web of the brake drum.

2. The method of forming a brake drum having a brake flange and a web which includes successively fashioning a flat blank to form a continuous portion and substantially their side edges extend in close proximity to V-shaped portions extending from one edge each other, and welding the side edges of the thereof, hooping the blank to form the con- V-shaped portions together to form the web 10 tinuous portion into a brake flange, welding of the brake drum with a central opening 5 the adjacent ends of the blank,- expanding therethrough.

the hooped and welded blank to size, bend- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. ing the V-shaped portions inwardly until JOSEPH E. BATIE. 

